Abstract
Dialyzers equipped with a hydrophilic fiber spacer have been newly introduced in order to enhance internal filtration. The spacer is composed of a dialysis membrane bundle with several turns of the fibers wounding around it. Swelling of the spacer by absorption of water reduces the cross-sectional area of the dialysate stream and increases the pressure drop (ΔPD) on the dialysate side of the dialyzer. In addition to diffusive transport, the internal filtration induced by increasing ΔPD enhanced convective transport of the solute through the dialysis membrane, especially of relatively large molecular weight substances. We examined the performance of the newly introduced dialyzer in an experimental study using an aqueous solution of myoglobin and assessed the solute removal characteristics of the dialyzer with an analytical model. Three dialyzers with the spacer at different positions were used. The 40 mm wide spacer was inserted at the inlet (40 mm inlet), the center (40 mm central), and the outlet (40 mm outlet) of the dialyzer. The results of the experimental study showed that all dialyzers containing the spacer had a higher ΔPD than the control dialyzer (FB-150UH, Nipro Corp.). On the other hand, the 40 mm central dialyzer yielded higher myoglobin clearance than the 40-mm-inlet and the 40-mm-outlet dialyzers. The 40 mm central dialyzer had a higher average transmembrane pressure (TMP), because it had enough length before and after the spacer.
Published Version
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